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@boffer wrote:I haven't seen much talk about BS on the forum-probably cause no appreciates how good they can taste after the first frost. But Camp posted a few of her BS pics that got me wondering. http://squarefoot.creatingforum.com/new-england-f4/the-end-of-july-7-weeks-until-frost-t3574.htm#27049

To pick the leaves and stems off or not? Is there anything to do that will keep the sprouts from opening prematurely? 7 out of 8 of my BS plants this year come out of the ground crooked-not straight like Camp's do-any ideas?

Too rich a soil will almost certainly cause blown sprouts so will a week or so of slightly warmer than seasonal weather especially if there is plenty of sunshine. Sprouts are a cool weather crop that does well after the first frost on them if they are nice tight 3/4 to 1& 1/2 inch dia sized balls . Pick from the bottom upwards cut off the blown sprouts and with luck you'll have some decent crop .

Come spring eat the tops lightly boiled ,buttered and peppered when green veg is in short supply .

If you're in for a prolonged icy cold spell and you have one or two full stalks of sprouts , cut the whole stalk off and hang it in a frost & draught free but very cool garage etc. they keep for a few weeks when kept on the stalks in this manner , as they won't dry out like they would in a warm or airy place.

The root system on garden grown sprouts can easily reach 18 inches across and nine inches deep ..me thinks you need some big containers and also some device to stake then up right or clip than to a rope as when they get to two foot six or more tall they will act as sails in even inn light winds and end up likely to be toppling the tubs over.

As an aside , the root balls on my last years sprouts grown in my MM bed sprouts filled the whole three foot by three foot bed and went down to well over 15 inches in most cases , the greenery form three plants per 9 sq. ft. swamped every other plant in the bed early in the growth season .

So this year I've resorted to only eventually leaving one sprout plant in the centre square foot of each bed after I've harvested the other crops .

@Marc Iverson wrote:...Will you thin them at all? Or are those even b.sprouts?

The buckets were available and simply expedient germination beds!I'm planning to transplant each seedling out in the garden raised beds where they'll have room to grow. Yes Marc, they're Brussel Sprouts in the bottom orange bucket.

Last edited by Windsor.Parker on 9/9/2013, 9:25 am; edited 2 times in total (Reason for editing : clarification)

bnoles, here is an idea that might help, it would keep the buckets from turning over. I found this video and plan on using his idea to build stands for my buckets. You could do it on a smaller scale if you don't need it to hold as many buckets as he built it for. Five Gallon Bucket Garden Stand Design

@TxGramma wrote:bnoles, here is an idea that might help, it would keep the buckets from turning over. I found this video and plan on using his idea to build stands for my buckets. You could do it on a smaller scale if you don't need it to hold as many buckets as he built it for. Five Gallon Bucket Garden Stand Design

WOW! Now that is some good thinking and he really has his act together. I like what he has going on and there is some good ideas in there.

That link was wonderful to look at but Oh my, what a construction project. He would have used far less wood by building sfg beds. I have one bucket brigade of 4 buckets, a cattle panel, and Florida weaved rope around the buckets to the green u posts at either end of the brigade. The rope secures the buckets in heavy wind. The cattle panel is also attached to the green u posts. But that's me and my low tech approach.

LM, I agree I wouldn't do my whole garden that way. But I will be doing something similar for the buckets that I am using in addition to my SFG beds. Not only are they contained but raised and I like the way it looks. I like your set up too and I'm all for the low tech approach.

For sheer simplicity and cheapness I think I'd consider strapping five or six five gallon buckets together using those cheap one inch wide cargo ratchet straps so you have an unused one filled one with MM in the middle , planting a sprout plant in the outer ones .

You could always try and grow some shade loving crop such as celery in the middle bucket .

I doubt that the wind would blow such an island of tubs over .Best of all you could virtually place the tubs anywhere you like out side your ANSFG bed thus avoiding shading the other plants in the beds .

Being able to put the buckets right where the sun is, and at the same time avoiding shading some of your plants, is a strong recommendation for them. Many of us have space for more plants, but not where the sun is -- more where the leafy, overhanging trees are! I have a single bucket in a neighbor's yard to grab some of his wonderful all-day sun. Another tomato in the same places I usually garden would just spend most of the day in the shade.

Mine is a self-watering bucket, and I think I'll make the rest of mine that way. Making them is a fun project, and not having to worry so much about getting the right amount of water appeals to the lazy part of me, as well as calming the worrywart part of me. Next spring I'd like to have a good half-dozen of them or more.

Those self-watering buckets are heavy, too, make no mistake. It would take quite a gale to knock one over, methinks.